“And again on the bridge just now,” said Volsky. “He also mentioned another man… What was the name? Ah, a man named Kamenski. You know the crew better than most, Dmitri. Who is this Kamenski?”
“Yes, Fedorov mentioned that man when he was here, but I don’t know him either.”
“What do you make of it, Dmitri?”
“I’ll give him a thorough examination this time. He might also be having a reaction to the anti-nausea medication. There was nothing in his medical file indicating that would be a problem, but I’ll see to it.”
“And what do you think of the rest of this crazy situation we find ourselves in?”
“This accident you speak of? Let us both hope it is exactly that. What you suggest about Orel suffering the same fate as Kursk makes a lot of sense to me, but this business about Slava is somewhat puzzling. Neither ship responds to communications hails? Then you will have to conduct a thorough search. Better Slava than Orel. Easier to find a surface ship than a submarine, and also easier to spot any sign of flotsam.”
“We’ve sent the KA-226 out,” said Volsky, “but they have seen nothing conclusive yet.”
“I see,” said Zolkin. “And the explosion?”
“I am thinking we have lost Orel,” Volsky said heavily.
“An attack?”
“Karpov believes this. I am not so sure.”
“Any deliberate attack would not happen in isolation, Leonid. A surprise attack upon a Russian naval task force would be a major international incident, yes? It would have to have some context to make any sense.”
“Things were getting very difficult in recent weeks, my friend,” the Admiral explained. “Why do you think we are out here for live fire exercises? This business in Georgia has the Americans all up in arms again. They want the place to keep the back door firmly closed on Iran, yet the presence of three of our motor rifle divisions just over the border is most unsettling for them. They rattle their sword, so we rattle ours.”
“A little more talking and a little less rattling would be so much better,” said the Doctor. “Have you tried listening on shortwave to see if the world has gone crazy again?”
That very simple idea had never occurred to Volsky. If there had indeed been a surprise nuclear strike upon his homeland, then something as simple as a short wave radio might provide information he needed. Why not simply tune in civilian radio stations and monitor that traffic for a while? Nikolin had been on secured military channels all this time.
“Good idea, Dmitri. Now… can you give me something for this headache?”
“Certainly, but I don't think it's the headache that's really bothering you.” The Doctor gave him a cursory examination, looking at him with a warm expression on his face, puttering amongst his medication trays to fetch a couple of aspirin.
“That's a lot of crew to be worried about now out there on Slava and Orel. It's a heavy burden to carry them on your back, but if this was an accident, Leonid, you can do little more than what you have suggested. Investigate the matter thoroughly, satisfy yourself as to the whereabouts of these two ships, and then report home to Severomorsk.”
“Karpov is edgy again,” said the Admiral. “He is convinced this was a deliberate attack.”
“Perhaps so, but why? The political situation was deteriorating. Why else would we be here shooting missiles in the middle of nowhere like this, just as you say? But it was not all that bad. I do not think the world is crazy enough to start World War III. We are still really not over the scars left by the first two.”
The Admiral nodded, forcing a smile. “Well, I’d best make room for Fedorov. He’ll be here directly. Let me know how he is when we meet for dinner this evening.”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” said Zolkin, “And don't let Karpov get under your skin. He's your canary in the mineshaft. Listen to him, but use your best judgment. He'll fret and fume for a while, but things will settle down soon enough, you'll see.”
“I had best get back to the bridge,” said Volsky. “This idea about the shortwave might allow us to get our bearings again. Have you looked outside? Did you see the ocean?”
“Every crewman who has come in here in the last half hour was talking about the sea conditions. We should feel fortunate that Rodenko’s weather report was wrong today, that’s all. This is better than that storm front